What she's afraid of
by KaziRede
Summary: 3 and 4 try to devise a plan to figure out what 7 is afraid of. Too bad nothing goes as planned ... 7x9 fluff


Now here's a question that needs to be answered - are either one of the twins a girl? If so, which one?

Any way - ON WITH THE STORY. I admit this one isn't as good as my last BUT OH WELL IT HAS FLUFF.

---

"Closer and Closer he came ..." 9 growled sinisterly, his arms raised with his fingers spread out, his mouth hanging in a twisted smile, "Until the little rag doll could feel the beast practically breathing down her neck ..."

9 stepped closer towards the twins, his eyes glowing in a unbelievably creepy way, the fire behind him making the ambient scene much too uncomfortable. "She could hear the beast growl with hunger, feeling the skin of its teeth up against her back ..." 9 whispered, creeping behind 3, "She heard a low hiss as the beast opened its massive jaws, his breath filled to the brim with death ..."

3 and 4 shook, embracing each other as 9 crawled like a tiger behind 4, grabbing both of the twin's shoulders with a tight grip, his smile wicked. "And you know what the beast did then ...?"

3 and 4 looked at each other, then looked at 9 as they shook their heads no - although, they both silently thought they might not want to know ...

9 laughed to himself in a sinister way, then lifted his arms again, the fire lighting his face from his chin, hiding the glow in his eyes "The beast let the scent of the rag doll fill his nose ... then with his tongue ... he slipped it around her ... and then -!!"

"The Rag doll took a knife and cut the beast's tongue off. The end." 7 interrupted, followed by a high screech of rock meeting steel as she sharpened her knife. "Oh, but I also forgot the part where she took that same knife and stabbed the beast through his head. NOW the end."

9's arms flopped to the ground, his face struck with shock and annoyance. He hung his mouth agape as the twins looked on to 9, their fearful disposition now dropped, replaced with a look of confusion. 9 dug his head into his copper hands and groaned. "Seveeeeeeen, you ruined the best part!"

"Oh, well excuse me for being bored the hell out of my mind ..." 7 announced, dropping her spear-like knife at her side, "Believe me, 9 that story was LAME. I mean, even the twins weren't scared, right?"

The twins looked at each other for a moment in silence, then nodded vigorously (despite the fact that they were INDEED scared, but ...).

"Oh? And what's wrong with my story?" 9 asked, glaring at 7.

7 leaned forward, counting off with her fingers. "The story was cliche, predictable, the character wasn't believable AT ALL - oh, not to mention that had I not butted in, boring."

"You just made the story even more boring with that special ending of yours, 7!" 9 yelled, raising his arms. "Like you could tell a better story!"

"Well, I admit I can't, but still, that story didn't scare me at all"

"Not in the slightest?"

"Not a bit."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

9 sighed, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Okay, so what if he was telling the story from the top of his head? He at least felt it was creative enough to scare the twins, but he had to admit, if it didn't scare 7, it scared nobody. 9 looked at 7, who continued to sharpen her knife with the small rock, her gazed fixed on the rock as it slid up the edge of the knife. 9 tapped his chin slightly, suddenly thinking of something that never occurred to the tiny stitchpunk before.

"Hey, 7 ..." 9 asked, "Are you ... afraid of _anything_?"

7 stopped her sharpening momentarily, then continued, not even looking at 9 when she answered "No."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now stop asking."

"I only asked once --."

"I said stop asking!"

"I'm not asking!"

A loud crash came from the sky, suddenly followed by a bright flash of light, startling everyone in the campsite. 3 and 4 again embraced each other once more, tumbling over each other in search of the least bit of safety as 7 dropped her knife, her eyes suddenly wide and her body in a tense, defensive position. 9 shivered for a moment, then looked at the sky, suddenly feeling a tiny raindrop on his head. 9 sighed and let a breath out, releasing any stress he had in him left before turning to the twins, their shaking forms curled up behind a small outcropping rock. 9 whistled and beckoned to the twins, who eagerly skipped up to him, looking at him.

"Whatever that was, I don't think it matters right now. It's starting to rain again, so we need to find shelter." 9 demanded, looking over his shoulder, "What do you think, 7?"

7 did not answer, nor was her defensive position dropped. Her wide, fearful eyes stared at the sky as it gave a low rumble, the rain starting to trickle down. 9 blinked and approached the warrior with caution, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "Hey 7, a-are you alright?"

7 jumped, but relaxed and stood straight, dropping her defensive potion and casually picking her knife up. "Yeah, I'm alright." she simply said, shrugging.

"You sure? You seemed a bit ... tense back there." 9 mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"I said I'm FINE, 9." 7 growled, marching forward to meet with the twins, "It's just as you said, we need to find shelter."

9 stared at 7 for a moment, then hesitantly walked forward, walking between 4 and 3 as they stared on with piqued curiosity. "C'mon guys, lets go before we get too wet."

4 and 3 blinked in unison, then stared at each other as they started to follow behind 7 and 9, the campfire left behind them. a few strides of silence ensued before 3 finally gathered the courage to click to 4 a few words that his mind would not let go of ...

"I think 7 was lying."

"Excused me, 3?"

"Remember when 9 had asked her if she had any fears?"

"Why, yes I do, 3, but why do you think she was lying?"

"I made a few observations earlier when the sky roared and threw upon this land strange lightning. I believe we may have encountered what humans called a 'thunder storm'"

"Really now! Intriguing!"

"Yes, but as I said, I made a few observations. Did you notice how ... nervous 7 seemed when the sky roared?

"Why ... now that I think of it, she seemed rather tense."

"Well, we all were startled by that horrendous noise, I don't know if we can draw any conclusions quite yet."

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

"I believe so ... we need to perform an experiment."

"Yes! An Experiment!"

"We need to lure 7 towards this thunder storm and continue to make observations."

"Indeed. But how will we do such a thing?"

"You leave that to me, 4, I am formulating a plan as we speak."

"Ooh! Do tell!"

"Well ... this is what I'll do ..."

--

"This is perfect!" 9 announced with his arms spread out wide, his pride reflecting off of the window he was currently staring out of, "we're perfectly dry in here!"

A glass house, though partly destroyed, was enough to shelter the group from the rain that was now pounding hard on the roof. The house was filled to the brim with dead flowers and shrubbery galore, the floor littered with plenty of pots that shielded them further from the rain. Once settled inside, the group all gathered around a half-broken pot, just big enough to shelter all four of them. 9 decided it was useless to build another fire, seeing how all their supplies were soaked right now and would need to dry overnight. It boded them just as well, starting a fire in a green house was NOT a wise idea.

7 isolated herself, remaining at the farthest corner of the pot, using another rock to sharpen her tool (as if it was a ritual, the knife was already sharp enough to cut through the wall of the pot). Meanwhile, 9 had already drifted off to sleep, his body propped up against the curved inner wall of the pot, his eyes closed. 3 and 4 decided it was best to 'look' at a gardening tool, a small shovel-like object laying just outside the pot, while they waited for the right time to execute their plan. They waited for at least an hour before the winds picked up to a strong gust, the rain flooded the ground outside and the thunder and lightning picked up again. 4 looked at 3, a concerned look crawling on the twin's face.

"3, I'm afraid I'm having second thoughts. It looks quite dangerous out there."

"Agreed, 4, but now is the best time to test this theory out. It may be days, weeks, months, even YEARS before a storm like this hits again."

"Yes ... but I'm concerned for 7's safety."

"Do not worry 4, I will make sure to keep 7 safe."

"Are you sure you don't want me coming with you?"

"Some one needs to stay behind and wake 9 just in case ... something happens."

"I thought we weren't including him?"

"We are, but only as a last resort. I doubt things will go wrong. I'm just going to lure her out, see what she does, and if she gets too frightened, I'll lead her back to the greenhouse."

"She'll hate you after this, you know ..."

"I'll find some way to make up for it."

3 slicked away from 4, preparing the plan of action. He casually strode up to the little warrior, hands intertwined with one another behind 3's back. When 3 approached the little warrior, her hand finally dropping the rock from the knife, the little librarian leaned forward until their faces met, a wide smile crawling on 3' face. This was obviously invading 7's personal bubble, as she leaned back, blinking furiously.

"Uh ... hey, 3 ... You seem content right now, anything on your mind?" 7 asked, still unsure of what to make of this situation.

Out of the blue, 3 swiped 7's spear-like knife away from her, then pranced away. 3 could hear the warrior's apparent anger at this, for she repeatedly called after, saying demands of returning her weapon. If 3 could giggle, he would of right now, for this experiment was turning out ... dare I say it? Fun!

3 turned around briefly, waving to 7 to catch up with her spear in hand, then turned around and ran full speed out of the greenhouse.

7 stopped for a moment, grunting as she stomped her foot on the ground. Not only did 3 take her spear from her, but what's more, 3 took it ... out there ... in the ... rain ... where the loud roar was ...

7 shook her head. No, no time for that now, Right now she must concentrate on finding 3 and giving 3 a nice scolding when they came back. Taking a glance behind her, seeing that 9 was still sleeping (amazingly), and 4 still fixated on the small shovel, 7 sighed and rushed outside into the pouring rain, getting soaked within minutes of doing so.

--

It took only moments for the little librarian to lead 7 a certain distance from the greenhouse, the winds picking up with strong gusts that almost blew the stitchpunk right over. 3 was able to get steady by forcing the spear into the ground during the strongest of gusts before moving on again.

But by the time the winds were too powerful to withstand anymore, 3 thought it was best to stay here, a certain distance away from the greenhouse. And just in time too, as he saw 7 in the distance, catching up with the little stitchpunk. 3 smiled as 7 struggled to maneuver through the rough winds and pounding rain, and saw her visible flare up as she spotted 3, casually waving to the warrior.

7 doubled up and ran to 3 as fast as she could, the water affecting her speed. When she caught up, she breathed heavily to catch her breath, then stared at 3 with intense anger in her eyes.

"3, what has gotten into you!?" 7 said in her best motherly tone, "We need to get back to the house before your circuits fry up or something - and give me my spear back!"

3 swiftly swiped the spear away from her reach just as she was grabbing it, seeing 7 shake with impatience. 7 swiped at the spear again, but 3 still dodged and bounced back gracefully, taunting her with the spear. 7 gave out an inhuman growl as she jumped towards the spear, finally wrapping her fingers around it, locked in a struggle with 3 of reclaiming her beloved weapon. "I'm serious 3! Give it back!"

A loud roar from the sky erupted, freezing both 3 and 7 in their place. 3 relaxed a short time afterward, seeing 7 still tense, her finger not tightly gripping on the handle of her spear as if it was the last thing on earth. Before 3 could ask any questions, 7 started pulling at the spear harshly, almost in a panicked state. "J-just please! Give it to me so we can go home and get out of this --!"

A bright flash of light crashed down between them, trailing through the spear and into the hands of those who were holding the spear ...

--

There. There is was.

That certain feeling of dread 4 was hoping would never show. That certain feeling that 4 always got when 3 was in trouble. And by how hard 4 shuddered, 3 must've really gotten herself into deep doo-doo this time.

Finally drawing away from the small shovel, 4 got up and paced around, trying to exercise this feeling out. 3 will return, 4 told himself, and so will 7 ... they both have to return, and both will be safe and alright, and they'll curl up by a nice fire and 3 will tell four what was learned from this trip out and -

But the feeling wouldn't go away. It clung on, resisting any attempts 4 gave to go away. Turning an eyes towards the entrance of the greenhouse, 4 shuddered once more, feeling terror crawl through the whole place like a dark miasma. 4's form shook violently, and soon, could be found near the sleeping form of 9, still sleeping despite the hard rain. 4 nudged 9 slightly, jarring the stitchpunk from his sleep. He gave a slight yawn before staring at 4, who could not drop the concerned look 4 was wearing. He cocked his head and frowned, almost immediately catching on to the problem. "Hey, 4, what's wrong ...?" 9 asked, turning his head outside, "Where's 3?"

4's form shook harder as 9 asked this, and 9 felt the instinctive urge to calm the librarian down by placing hands on 4's shoulders. "4, just tell me ... Where's 3? ... And while we're at it, where's 7?"

4 finally raised a wary finger and pointed outside, eyes shut tightly. 4 could feel 9 going into a panic as 9 gave a sudden yelp and got up. 9 rushed out the pot and looked around, 3 and 7 nowhere in sight. Turning his head towards 4, 9 saw that 4 shook terribly, as if he was about to cry. 9 shook his head and walked up to 4, lifting him by the arm and half dragging the librarian outside. "Come on, 4, lets go look for them."

--

Pain. Excruciating, unending pain.

A sudden jolt of electricity coursed through 3 as the stichpunk crawled on all fours, retreating back to the greenhouse. 3 couldn't think, all thought was replaced with cloudiness and dizziness, the electricity causing 3's body to jerk in random movements. Finally, 3 could not withstand anymore pain, and crumpled into a fetal position on the ground, body convulsing. 3's eyes flashed randomly as the rain turned back into a drizzle, despite the roaring thunder overhead. 3's eyes shut tightly, trying to prevent convulsions from happening with no avail. 3 had no sense of time, so the stitchpunk had no idea how much time passed before an hand pressed against her arm, squeezing it slightly. 3 flinched, that gentle squeeze sending waves of pain throughout her body, then looked up, seeing 9 and 4 smiling down in relief.

"Oh good, you're alive!" 9 said, lifting the shaking form into his arms, "What happened to 7, do you know?"

7 ... oh god, 7! This shook 3 out of her current stupor, sitting up quickly. 3 and 4 stared at each other, eyes flashing before 4 ran off, 9 closely behind after he lifted 3 on his back. A few moments later and the trio arrived at a certain spot where a certain warrior's weapon laid, charred but still intact. 9 carefully picked up the spear, flinching as the knife felt hot to the touch.

"This is 7's spear ..." 9 said in a hushed voice, looking hopelessly at the spear, "7 ... she shouldn't have gone far, right? We need to find her before something happens to her --."

Another loud roar and a high flash of light, making the trio jump from where they were. Seconds of silence, then ... a small whimper. 9's auditory functions picked up a small whimper not too far from here. 9 gave 3 to 4, then ran off as fast as he could, towards the direction where he thought he might have heard the whimper - there! In that small trench, partly covered with a piece of scrap metal, probably fallen off of one of the ever-lifeless robots.

9 Carefully slipped down the side of the mud-covered trench and ventured under the scrap metal, spotting 7 huddled near the far wall, her knees up to her head. 9 visibly relaxed, striding over to her with excitement knowing that she was okay. At first glance, she looked okay, but further inspection revealed that her bleached coat now carried a charred mark on her shoulder - also, not to mention she looked terrified beyond belief. 9 hesitantly laid a copper hand on her shoulder, kneeling to the frightened warrior.

"H-hey ... 7 ...?" 9 murmured, 7 jumping as he said her name, "A-are you okay?"

Despite her shaking, 7 smiled, trying in vain to hide her fear from 9. "O-oh, 9 ... I'm j-just fine ..." She said, looking past her knees to the ground. "Just fine ... I'm okay, every thing's okay ..."

There came another loud thunder crash, one that made 7 cover the sides of her head with her metallic hands, burying her face into her knees. 9 looked on at this pitiful form, cowering, trying to retreat further into the wall of the trench. 9 sighed and sat down beside 7, feeling it was useless to try to move her during this storm, and gently put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. 9 felt 7 tense up, her form rigid in his grasp.

"Just relax, 7 ..." 9 reassured, "Nothing's going to harm you under here. You're safe ..."

7 still felt tense in his grasp, but he at least felt her loosen up a tiny bit as she looked at him, blinking. 9 smiled at her, tilting his head slightly to look straight into 7's eyes before turning his face away. He sighed silently, still feeling 7 shaking slightly in the ragdoll's arms, so he took a hold of her hand and held it tightly, again smiling at the warrior, who at this point seemed confused at his actions. 9 held her tighter, and felt her relax when he finally said something that melted her fears away ...

"I'm here."

--

A few hours passed before the duo decided it was safe enough to exit the trench and meet up with the twins, who were taking shelter within the confines of an old car tire. The group returned home to the greenhouse where everyone finally relaxed, 3 almost immediately sleeping after 9 had found a suitable piece of cloth that was big enough for the twins to use as a blanket. Once asleep, 7 took a spot underneath the half-broken pot and huddled into a corner again, sitting with her knees up to her chest again. 9 noticed this position, and took a seat beside her, again putting an arm around her. "Are you still scared?" He asked in a hushed voice, "The storm's blown over, there's no need to be afraid anymore."

"Nah, I'm okay now." 7 answered, staring at the sleeping twins, "I just feel tired now."

"I don't mean to be rude, 7, but ... how did you get that burn mark on your shoulder?"

"There was a lightning strike that hit both me and 3 but ..." 7 paused, lifting her head slowly towards the twins, "I think ... I think 3 saved my life or something ... 3 took the spear right out of my hands just as it hit."

"You aughtta thank her when she wakes up."

"I will ..."

A moment of silence ensued, the only sound heard was gentle wind hitting the glass windows. 7 suddenly dropped her head, sighing. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What for?" 9 asked, blinking.

"For lying to you." 7 said, hugging her knees tighter, "When I said I wasn't afraid of anything ... I guess I lied."

9 could only blink, unsure of what to say.

"Sure, there were times where I stared death in the face, and I was unsure if I would be able to make it out alive but ..." 7 paused, giving out a heavy sigh, then looked at 9, "I can't remember if I was ever scared then. But this ... this is a first for me."

9 frowned and hung his head slightly, trying to avoid looking at 7 straight in the face by looking at the sleeping twins in front of him. "I' m scared of something too."

"Hm? What?"

"When you and 3 went missing, I automatically panicked." 9 recalled, tightening his around her shoulders, "After ... After loosing so many of our friends, I don't think I can handle any more ... any more losses."

7 grabbed the rag doll's arm, startling him. 9 looked at 7 as she smiled warmly, her eyes closed. "Thanks for worrying about me." 7 said, "And for being there for me when I got really scared."

9 returned 7's smile, and brought her in into a gentle hug. The two remained like that for a moment before 9 finally broke it, his arm still around 7's shoulders. "Just don't run out into the rain again, okay?" 9 said, giving a firm pat on her shoulder.

"That reminds me." 9 said through her teeth, her warm placed turning into a deep scowl. "Remind me to kick that punk's butt when she wakes up."

Both the rag dolls laughed, their laughter echoing out of the pot. Unbeknown to them, 4 kept one eye open, and retreated further into the blanket, meeting with 3 who was currently taking up residence under there. 4 managed to blink and click quietly to 3, who was actually trying to do her best to sleep for once. But upon hearing 4's clicks, 3 was stirred out of her sleep, opening an eye. 4 gave a sneaky smile.

"You know you're in deep trouble now, 3."

"I know. I'll deal with that situation once we cross that bridge ..."

"But putting that aside, What did you learn from you little trip?"

"Well, I actually learned 3 things from this. One of them is what we suspected, 7 does seem to have a fear of thunder storms."

"Oh, well glad to hear that hypothesis was correct."

"But another thing I learned is that everyone has an individual fear, and it's okay to have one. It's what makes a person a unique individual, for one person's fear is different from another."

"Yes, I agree with that. I just overheard 9 telling 7 about his fear about losing others. It's a pretty common fear to carry, actually."

"Quite. It might be due to having lost our other siblings in our past conflicts. It may have traumatized 9. But as long as he has 7 and us, he'll be fine."

"What is the third thing you learned ..."

"... Metal attracts lightning. I learned that the hard way."

"Ouch."

"Indeed."

--

You can tell I gave up on trying to hide the fact that I did not know what genders the twins are and just assumed 3 was a girl and 4 was a boy according to some other 9 fanfics I read, but I'm still not sure.

... OMGFLUUUUUUUUUFFFFF

Also I am sorry for any mistakes I might have missed while proofreading this. I have no Microsoft office on thie WHAT SO EVER D:


End file.
